July 22nd through 26th

One small candle flickered atop the dust-­encrusted chest of drawers, the feeble light unable to dispel the gloom born of the murky darkness. The yellow flame wafted in a sudden draft, casting macabre patterns on a precarious stack of old boxes supported by an intricate network of cobwebs. The pale light briefly touched a figure hunched over an open trunk.

The figure loomed more like a shadow than a real person and reached out a hand to lightly trace the features of the tiny bundle nestled within the trunk's musty interior.

"Would you listen to me? Singing to a doll-baby just like you was real."

Wide, unblinking eyes stared back.

"Sometimes I wish ... but no. It's better this way. If you was real, then I'd have to tell you to hush for sure. The Man don't let me play with no real babies. Says I might hurt 'em. But he don't know. I can be real gentle. Ain't my fault those others broke. You ain't gonna do that are you?"

Silence.

Thus begins, Boxes For Beds, a new, independent release from the award-winning author, Maryann Miller. This historical mystery is set in Arkansas when the mob ruled Hot Springs, and a corrupt sheriff has to find who is making babies disappear. Why not pin it on the do-gooder Yankee that just moved from New York? Leslie Richards came to a small town near Hot Springs to find some peace in a rural setting and finds anything but.

Maryann Miller has been writing all her life and has numerous books published in fiction and non-fiction. She is currently working on the third book in the Seasons Mystery Series that debuted with Open Season in 2010 and followed with Stalking Season in 2012. Both have received rave reviews from Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus, and Library Journal.

Visit Maryann at her Website and Blog and follow her on Facebook and TwitterIf you visit Maryann Miller's blog during the Blogger Book Fair and leave a comment, you will be entered into a drawing for an advance copy of Stalking Season, the second book in the Seasons Mystery Series, or an e-book of your choice.http://its-not-all-gravy.blogspot.com/